Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Researchers have identified pyrene, one of the largest carbon-based molecules, within the Taurus molecular cloud, 430 light-years from Earth, advancing our understanding of carbon’s origin in the cosmos.
Pyrene consists of four fused carbon rings, classifying it as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). PAHs are stable, complex carbon molecules thought to form roughly 20% of the carbon in space, surviving extreme conditions due to their resilience.
The search for PAHs in the Taurus cloud was spurred by the detection of pyrene in asteroid Ryugu samples, suggesting these molecules may trace back to the primordial nebula that formed our solar system.
MIT’s Brett McGuire notes that finding pyrene in such an early star-forming region suggests that material from early molecular clouds could become part of ice, dust, and rocky bodies in our solar system.
The discovery utilized radio telescopes, which can identify individual molecules by detecting their unique electromagnetic signatures, revealing specific compositions and structures within celestial bodies.
PAHs typically form under high temperatures, yet the Taurus cloud’s temperature is 10 Kelvin (-263°C). This raises questions about whether PAHs form in such cold environments or arrive via other processes, such as from dying stars.
Researchers estimate pyrene makes up about 0.1% of the carbon in the Taurus cloud, indicating a substantial carbon reserve, which may play a crucial role in star and planet formation processes.
Further studies will explore whether PAHs can originate in frigid space conditions or are transported across the universe. UBC’s Ilsa Cooke emphasizes that this work may reveal more about life-enabling molecules and their interstellar journeys.